Give me big ideas in 2 weeks: PM to secys on New Year's Eve

Top civil servants will now ideate in eight groups and give inputs to Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked top civil servants for “breakthroughs, rather than incremental change”. The PM wants his team to work on innovative ideas spanning sectors that can be executed in one year, three years, and over the long term.

In a 70-minute meeting with secretaries on New Year’s Eve at his Race Course Road residence, Modi laid down the format through which bureaucrats must ideate. Officials told Business Standard eight groups have been formed for brainstorming. Each group will consist of eight to 10 secretaries, who will make presentations to the PM on January 12, 15 and 16.

Broadly, the ideas for “transformative change” must be in areas such as good governance, health, education, energy conservation, renewable energy, employment generation, inclusive growth, farmer-centric initiatives, and innovative budgeting. The NDA government’s signature schemes — Swachh Bharat and Ganga rejuvenation —have also been thrown up all over again for new ideas.

The PM’s interaction was followed by high tea, an official said. The menu included tea, juice, cutlets etc. There have been similar meetings between Modi and secretaries earlier, in a sign that the PM was looking for a direct line of contact with top civil servants. In fact, soon after taking charge, Modi had met secretaries, outlining the government agenda while assuring them that they should take decisions without any fear and that he could be contacted at any time. That was seen as a departure from the previous UPA regime under then PM Manmohan Singh, who had rarely called such meetings with all secretaries.

Last November, when Modi had called secretaries for a Diwali high tea, he had asked them to “come together” and “work together”. Swachh Bharat was one of the big areas of discussion then as well. He had also sought transformational ideas for the Union Budget.

On December 18, Modi had called his council of ministers for a review meeting, telling them to communicate the work done by the government to people, among other things.

On Thursday, the PM stressed that the focus should be on “measures which will transformatively improve the lives of people’’ and “empower the common man”, a government statement said.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley, home minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and road and highways minister Nitin Gadkari were present at the interaction, apart from senior officers of the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office.